| Rheinmetall and IVECO Magirus's Caracal is another lightweight armoured vehicle in the 6-8 ton class. The Caracal fills the capabilities gap between the Bundeswehr's Wolf and
Duro armoured vehicles, both of which it deploys in Afghanistan.
It is a versatile, high-performance, multipurpose vehicle offering a high level of crew protection. The entire passenger compartment is hardened against the effects of
small-calibre armour-piercing ammunition. It also features robust protection against landmines and elaborate testing has officially demonstrated the effectiveness of the
protection concept, developed by the Deisenroth company of Bonn. If required, two soldiers can quickly attach or detach the armour from the vehicle under field conditions.
The vehicle's integrated armour cannot be detected from the outside, an essential advantage over other designs.
The vehicle has room for up to five fully equipped troops. When armoured, the Caracal has a payload of one ton; without armour it can transport two tons. According to the
manufacturer, it has fording capability up to 1.5 metre. The vehicle can be carried as internal cargo in the Transall C-160, the Hercules C-130 and the future Airbus A400M;
heavy-duty helicopters are able to transport it as external cargo. This means that the vehicle can be quickly airlifted to remote areas of operation – and just as quickly
evacuated.
The Caracal is set to multiply into a versatile family of vehicles configured for transport, reconnaissance, medical and command roles. It can be armed with antitank weapons
or machineguns.
The vehicle has already been successfully procured by the British and Italian armies. The British have bought 400 vehicles, the Italians, 1,200.
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